Rotary harrow.



H. E. OWENS.

ROTARY HARROW.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-18.19.18.

Patented June 25, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY H. E. OWENS.

ROTARY HARROW.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, I9I8.

Patented June 25, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

/ mm unmmnmm iiii Him R O T N E V N WITNESSES He nan E wQ/Zs BY WWATTORN EY H. E. OWENS.

ROTARY HARROW.

APPLICATION FILED ms. 1a, 1918.

l ,279 ,3 1 7 Patented June 25, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR 125mm E0100);

WITNESSES gg, x 6 m. 7 ,FMZ,

ATTORTEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEMAN E. OWENS, OF WEST CLARKSVILLE, NEW YORK.

ROTARY HARROW.

Application filed February 18, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HnMAN E. OWENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Clarksville, in the county of Allegany and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in R0- taryHarrows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to agricultural implements, and more particularlyto rotary harrows or pulverizers.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character soconstructed as to eliiciently pulverize the plowed ground over which itpasses and which has means to prevent breakage of the pulverizingimplements when obstructions are encountered.

Another object is to provide a simply construction and efiicient machineof this character having a rotary drum composed of sections heldyieldably together to provide a flexible periphery for the drum.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of aharrow constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with parts broken out,

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3 -3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4. is a detail perspective view of a portion of the flexible drum,

Fig. 5 is a similar View of a portion of one of the adjustableconnections for the sprocket wheels,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form of the invention,and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the frame thereof.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, a wheel supportedstructure is shown comprising a pair of ground wheels 1 between which isfixedly mounted, on the axle 2 which connects the wheels, asubstantially rectangular U-shaped horizontally Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 25, 1918.

Serial No. 217,876,

disposed supporting frame 3 having a suitably braced tongue 4 connectedwith the cross bar 4; thereof, the free ends of the arms of said framebeing engaged with axle 2.

An auxiliary frame is mounted within frame 3 and comprises two side barsas 5 disposed on opposite sides of axle 2. The opposite ends of theseside bars 5 are bifurcated to receive sprocket wheels 7 and S which areslidable on the side bars in a manner and for a purpose hereinafter tobe described.

At each side of the machine adjacent the ground wheels 1 are sprocketwheel supporting members here shown in the form of arms or bars 9 whichradiate from axle 2 and are connected by braces 10; four of these arms 9are here shown disposed diametrically opposite each other and betweenthe two upper arms 9 is disposed another arm 9 there being no armarranged opposite "arm 9 for a reason presently to be described. Thesearms 9 and 9 are arranged in the same plane with the side bars 5 so thatthe sprocket wheel 12 carried by said bars and those 7 and 8 carried bysaid bars will be arranged in the same plane and adapted to supportsprocket chains as 11, one of which is arranged at each side of themachine as is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

Sprocket wheels 12 are mounted to slide longitudinally on the arms 9similar to the wheels 7 and 8 which are mounted on the side bars 5 toadapt said wheels to be properly adjusted in relation to the chains 11which they support and to which they impart motion. These wheels 7 and 8are referably each mounted in a bifurcated s eeve 13 as shown in detailin Fig. 5, the wheel being disposed between the bifurcations of thesleeve and the inner end of said sleeve mounted to slide on one end ofthe bar 5. The connection between the arms 9 and their sprocket wheelsis the same as that between bars 5 and the wheels 7 and 8. A link 14 isconnected at one end with sleeve 13, and at its other end with a lever18 which is fulcrumed at one end on bar 5. A segmental rack 16 is alsosecured to bar 5 adjacent the lver 18 and is designed to be engaged by aspring dog carried by said lever for looking it in an adjusted position.It will thus be seen that the sleeve 13 which carries the sprocket wheelmay be adjusted longitudinally on the arm or bar on which it is mountedby simply disengaging the spring dog on lever 18 and through theactuation of the lever positioning the sleeve at the deslred point sothat the sprocket wheel carrled thereby may be moved. toward or awayfrom the chain with which it is to be engaged.

The arm or bar 9 is the only sprocket carrying member which is providedwith no means for adjusting its sprocket as it is not deemed necessaryto employ such means in connection with this arm.

The two sleeves which carry the sprockets 7 and 8 are connected forsimultaneous actuation by means of a rod 17 one end of which isconnected with one end of a lever 18 fulcrumed intermediately of itsends on side bar 5, the other end of said rod 17 1s connected with thesleeve 13 which carries sprocket 8 as is shown clearly in Fig. 1. Thislever 18 is connected with sprocket 7 by means of a link 14 asheretofore described, and it will thus be seen by the actuation of thislever the two sprockets 7 and 8 will be simultaneously moved toward oraway from each other according to the direction in which the said leveris actuated. It is sometimes found desirable to move the sprockets 7 and8 outwardly to cause chain 11 with which they are engaged atdiametrically opposite points to be moved outwardly in diametricallyopposite directions and thereby elevate the lower portion of the chainto disengage theteeth carried thereby from the surface over which themachine is passing,

which is necessary when passing from field to field. This upwardmovement of the chain 11 may also be employed to regulate the depthwhich the teeth are designed to engage the earth being harrowed.

The chains 11 which are disposed at opposite sides of the machineareconnected by a plurality of peripherally spaced cross bars or arms 19any desired number of which may be employed. Each of these bars 19carries a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth 20 any desired numberof which may be used. These teeth 20 are preferably detachably. mountedon bars 19 by any suitable means, nuts 21 being here shown for thispurpose so that should one of the teeth be come broken it may be readilyreplaced. Carried by the bars 19 and spaced laterally and outwardlytherefrom are guide bars 22 through which the teeth 20 extend and arebraced thereby.

These teeth carrying bars are yieldably connected by means of coiledsprings 23 as is shown clearly in Fig. 4 and when so connected provide ayieldable or flexible drum having teeth radiating therefrom and which isdesigned to engage and pulverize the earth over which the machine iscaused to travel.

Motion is imparted to this flexible drum by means of cog wheels 24, twoof which are preferably employed although not neces-- sarily, and whichare carried by shafts 25 on which two of the upper sprocket wheels 12are mounted, said shafts extending from one side of the machine to theother, and connecting the corresponding sprocket wheels at oppositesides thereof. These cog wheels 24: mesh with an annular toothed gear 26which is here shown in the form of an internal gear while in Fig. 6 anexternal gear is shown. This gear is fixed to the inner face of one ofthe ground wheels 1, being here shown mounted on the wheel at the lefthand side of the machine.

Any suitable means may be providedfor throwing these cog wheels into andout of mesh with the gear 26 so that the drum may be operated or notduring the travel of the machine at the will of'the operator.

It is to be understood that any desired number of sprocket gears may beemployed, seven being here shown and arranged as shown in Fig. 1 withsuificient space left between the two lower wheels to provide for thepositioning at this point of a spring cushioning frame which is designedto engage the lower portion of the drum where it comes in contact withthe ground when in use, and which is designed to permit the drum toyield at this point when it encounters obstructions such as stones andthe like. This spring cushioned frame consists as here shown of a pairof depending rods as 27 which depend from frame 3 at opposite sides ofthe machine (see Fig. 1) and which are connected at their lower ends bya rod 28 which forms a pintle for arcuate peripherally extending bars orplates 29, one end.

of which is provided with a knuckle or eye 30 for pivotal engagementwith said rod 28. The rods 27 which depend from frame?) terminate attheir lower ends at. a point spaced sufliciently from the chains 11 .toprovide ample space between the said ends and said chains of anotherarcuate bar 31 which is also pivotally connected at one end with rod 28and between which and the barj29 is arranged coiled springs 32, threebeing here shown, but obviously any desired number may be employed. Thebars 29 and 31 extend in a direction peripherally of the drum and thefree end of the bar 29 is connected with an upwardly extending rod orbar 33 which passes up through one of the-side bars 5 and is connectedat its upper end with-a bell crank lever 3a which is fulcrumed on theside bar 5 and is provided with the usual spring pressed dog 35 which isadapted to engage with the teeth of a segmental rack 36 for locking thelever'in adjusted position.

The free end of bar 31 is also connected with an upwardly extending'bar37 which is provided with. guides 38 here shown in the form of loopsthrough which bar33 passes on which said bar 37 is designed to slide.

It will be understood that the object of this spring cushion is topermit the endless chain carrying the teeth 20 to yield and c011- formto the shape of the ground over which the machine is drawn so that whensaid teeth come in contact with any solid resisting substance they willnot be broken. It will also be seen that the extent of yielding of thedrum at this point may be controlled by the number of coiled springs 32employed or by the adjustment of the lever 34: to raise or lower thecushion frame according to the extent it is desired that said chainshall yield.

If desired, a swiveled caster wheel 40 may be mounted at the front ofthe frame preferably at a point underneath the junction of the tonguewith the hounds. This wheel is designed to support the machine and toassist the turning thereof and to prevent the weight and jar from beingreceived by the necks of the horses, when horses are em ployed fordrawing the machine over the earth.

It is to be understood that while this machine is shown with a tongueprovided for the use of horses that it may be equally well connectedwith a tractor operated by motive power in any suitable manner.

In the operation of the machine when it is drawn forward over thesurface to be pulverized or harrowed, the rotation of the wheels 1 willoperate through the crown gear 26 carried by one of said wheels toimpart motion through the cog wheels 24 to the sprockets 12 mounted onthe shafts 25 thereof, and thereby drive the sprocket chains 11 andcause the teeth 20 carried thereby to be brought into operativeengagement with the earth over which the machine is passing, the springcushion frame at the lower portion of the drum operating to force theteeth yieldably outward into the earth when they reach a point above theground to be pulverized as is shown clearly in Fig. 1 and permits themto retract when an obstruction is encountered. It is understood thatthis frame has first been adjusted by the means above described to adaptthe teeth carried by the drum to engage the surface being pulverized anydesired depth.

The annular gear 26 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 will operate to turn thechains 11 rearwardly, while the external gears 26 shown in Fig. 6 willoperate to turn them in the opposite direction and either form may beemployed, it being preferable to turn the chains forwardly in order thatthe lumps of earth to be pulverized may be the second time subjected tothe action of the teeth 20.

In the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the harrow is made double, two drumsbeing employed instead of one as shown in the other figures. These drumsare constructed exactly alike and are made exactly like the drums shownin Figs. 1 to 5 and hereinbefore described, hence it is not deemednecessary to again describe them. These drums are mounted side by sidein the frame shown in Fig. 7 which is similar to the frame 3 of theother figures except that it is made wider to accommodate the two drumsand has central partitions 11. This frame is mounted on an axle 2 whichhas rods 42 on each side thereof for bracing and strengthening it. Thisdouble form of frame not only lengthens the harrow but strengthens itand is especially designed for use by machines to be drawn by tractors.This frame, has arranged between the side members thereof and the middlepartition 41 in each compartment, bars 43 which have open slots -14 attheir free ends to receive the sliding boxes, sprocket wheels, etc., andcorrespond to the bars 9 in the form shown in Figs. .1 to 5.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method ofoperation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthe invention appertains and while I have described the principle ofoperation of the invention together with the device which I now considerto be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood thatthe device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may bemade as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim 1. In a rotary harrow, a wheeled supporting structure, a drummounted therein,- a flexible endless member mounted to move around saiddrum, outwardly projecting teeth carried by said member, means connectedto actuate said endless member, and spring cushioned means forprojecting the teeth of said endless member into operative position forengaging the ground.

2. In a rotary harrow, a wheeled supporting structure, a drum mountedtherein, a flexible endless member mounted to move around said drum,outwardly projecting teeth carried by said member, means connected toactuate said endless member, and spring cushioned means mounted to slidevertically directly over the point of engagement of the endless memberwith the ground for projecting the teeth of said endless member intooperative position for engaging the ground.

3. In a rotary harrow, a wheeled supportin structure, a drum mountedtherein, a flexi le endless member mounted to move around said drum,outwardly projecting teeth carried by said member, means connected toactuate said endless member, spring cushioned means mounted to slidevertically directly over the point of engagement of the endless memberwith the ground for projecting the teeth of said endless memher intooperative position for engaging ground, and means under the control ofthe operator for raising (and lowering said projecting-means to preventengagement of the teeth of said member with the ground to vary theextent of their engagement.

4:. In a rotary harrow a wheeled supporting structure, a drum mountedtherein a flexible endless member mounted tolmoye around said drum,outwardly projecting teeth carried by said member, eans connected toactuate said endless member, and means for projecting the teeth of saidendless member into operative position, for engaging ground, saidprojecting means comprising two members, one, slidable relatively to theother and having coiled springs positioned between them, the slidable:member being arranged outside and yie'ldable inwardly.

5. In a rotary harrow, a wheeled supporting structure, a drum mountedtherein, a flexible endless member mounted to move around said drum,outwardly projecting teeth carried by said member, means connectedtoactuate said endless member, means for projecting the teeth of saidendless member into operative position for engaging the ground, saidprojecting means comprising two members, one slidable on the other andhaving coiled springs positioned between them, and means for raisingsaid members to prevent engagement of said teeth with the ground.

6. In a rotary v harrow, a supporting frame, ground wheels supportingsaid frame, a skeleton drum fixedly mounted therein and including aplurality of radially adjustable sprocket wheels, endless sprocketchains passing over said wheels, toothed rods 40 connecting said chains,and a connection ,between one of said ground wheels and said sprocketwheels whereby the chains are driven by the turning of the groundwheels,

7. In a rotary jharrow, a supporting frame, ground wheels supportingsaid frame,

a skeleton drum fixedly mounted therein and including fixed end'members,a plurality of shafts connecting and extending through said members,cogs on said .projecting shaftends, a gear carried by, one of saidground wheels and with which said cogs mesh whereby motion is impartedto said shafts, an endless flexible member encompassing said drum andcarrying pulverizing elements, connections between said flexible memberand shafts whereby said member is moved around said drum, and means forprojecting said flexible member to cause the teeth thereof to engage theground.

In testimony whereofI aflix my signature in presence of ,two witnesses.

PATRICK O. GALLAGHER, VERN VAN CURAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. (3.

